MSc Defense: Final Oral Examination for the Degree of Master of Science of Kyle Bryenton

MSc Defense:
MSc Defense: Final Oral Examination for the Degree of Master of Science of Kyle Bryenton

Event Details

Date:
Thursday, October 25, 2018

Time:
1:00pm

Location:
SSC 1504

Thesis Title:

“Optical Properties of the α-T3 Semi-Dirac Model”

Abstract

Graphene is a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice structure composed of carbon. Single-layer graphene was first theorized in 1947, but was not observed experimentally until 2004. This discovery was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 2010.

The honeycomb lattice structure of graphene can be used as a starting point to examine many other interesting models; two important examples include the dice (or T3) lattice and the α-T3 lattice, which interpolates between graphene and the dice lattice via a tunable parameter α.

In this thesis the Kubo formula is used to calculate optical properties of a two-dimensional semiDirac α-T3 model, where the electron dispersion in momentum is linear (Dirac-like) in one direction and quadratic in the other. The frequency dependence of the longitudinal conductivity is found to be different for the x-direction versus the y-direction, providing characteristic signatures of the semi-Dirac behavior.